High pressure air and water nozzles can be used for many different purposes and applications. For example, there are pressure washers that include a complement of different sized nozzles. Some nozzles cause the water jet to be discharged in a triangular plane such as a fan pattern, while others discharge a thin jet of water, which spirals around rapidly in a cone pattern. Other prior art nozzles use a rotor within a chamber that is susceptible to being easily broken, clogged and is difficult to clean.
Most nozzles attach directly to some type of wand or gun. The pressure washer adds its own power to create higher pressure and velocity. However, these prior art pressure washers typically operate at relatively low flow rates and pressures than required for industrial applications such as part cleaning, hydro-excavation, and boring.
Specialized industrial nozzles that have been developed to handle high flow rates do not generate a dynamic and rotating flow pattern. For example, high pressure nozzles that are used for cleaning industrial parts, deburring industrial parts and the like typically discharge at pressures of several thousand pounds per square inch (psi). A shortcoming of these previously known nozzles, however, is that the nozzles are of a fixed geometry and do not generate a dynamic flow pattern. In addition, when the nozzles are switched from one type of nozzle for one application to a different nozzle, it is necessary to employ cumbersome fluid couplings to ensure fluid tight connections with the nozzle.